Protective cover and electronic device having the same

ABSTRACT

The present invention discloses a protective cover demountably connected with a display device or an expansion device. The protective cover includes a body, a first fixing element, at least one first shaft, and at least one first supporting element. The body includes at least one body recess. The first fixing element is connected with the body to fixedly dispose the display device or the expansion device on the body. The first shaft is disposed in the body recess. The first supporting element is connected with the first shaft and can be rotated with respect to the first shaft to form a lying state or an erect state; in the lying state, the first supporting element is accommodated in the body recess; in the erect state, the first supporting element is erected to protrude out of the body recess.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a protective cover, and more particularly, to a protective cover which can be easily assembled or disassembled with a display device or an expansion device.

2. Description of the Related Art

Portable electronic products have become the major development target for IT manufacturers as technology advances. Apart from the appearances and functional improvements of electronic products, manufacturers are keenly developing protective covers or cases used for protecting electronic products to enhance the convenience and portability for consumers when they are using portable electronic products.

Presently, a traditional protective case used for containing both the display device and an expansion device (such as a keyboard) does not provide users the option of carrying the display or the expansion device separately; that is, a user has to carry the expansion device along with him/her if the user wants to use the protective case. Furthermore, although a new protective case is proposed to separately protect the display device and the expansion device, this covering case has a complex mechanism and thus is complicated to assemble/disassemble for users. In addition, when the protective case is used solely for the display device, the overall size cannot be reduced, making it inconvenient for users to carry.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide a new protective cover to solve the problems present in the prior art techniques.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a protective cover which can be easily assembled or disassembled with a display device or an expansion device.

In order to achieve the above object, the protective cover of the present invention is demountably connected with a display device or an expansion device. The protective cover comprises a body, a first fixing element, at least one first shaft, and at least one first supporting element.

The body comprises at least one body recess. The first fixing element is connected with the body to fixedly dispose the display device or the expansion device on the body. The at least one first shaft is disposed in the at least one body recess. The first supporting element is connected with the first shaft, and the first supporting element can rotate with respect to the first shaft to form a lying state or an erect state. When in the lying state, the first supporting element is accommodated in the body recess; when in the erect state, the first supporting element is erected to protrude out of the body recess. Therefore, when the first supporting element is in the lying state, the display device or the expansion device can be superposed and fixedly disposed on the body; when the first supporting element is in the erect state, the first supporting element is used to support the display device such that one side of the display device leans on the first supporting element, thereby allowing the display device to be disposed upright or slantwise on the protective cover.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The exemplary embodiment(s) of the present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description given below and from the accompanying drawings of various embodiments of the invention, which, however, should not be taken to limit the invention to the specific embodiments, but are for explanation and understanding only.

FIG. 1 illustrates a vertical view of an electronic device of a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded view of the electronic device of the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates an enlarged view of a first supporting element and a second supporting element of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a view of the protective cover connected with both the display device and the expansion device;

FIG. 5 illustrates a view of the protective cover connected with only the display device;

FIG. 6 illustrates a view of the first supporting element in the erect state;

FIG. 7 illustrates a view of the display device leaning on the supporting element;

FIG. 8 illustrates a partial vertical enlarged view of the protective cover of a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a vertical view of the protective cover of the electronic device of a third embodiment of the present invention, showing the first supporting element in the lying state; and

FIG. 10 illustrates another vertical view of the protective cover of the electronic device of the third embodiment of the present invention, showing that the first supporting element is fixed in the erect state by the fastening element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 6 for structural views of the electronic device of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, in an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device 1 of the present invention comprises a display device 10, a protective cover 20, and an expansion device 30. In the specific embodiment of the present invention, the display device 10 is a tablet computer, but the present invention is not limited to this. The display device 10 can also be a smart phone or any other portable device with a display function. The expansion device 30 can be a keyboard, a speaker, a keyboard with speakers, or any other peripheral device.

The protective cover 20 is used to protect the display device 10 or the expansion device 30 from damage due to impacts or falls. The protective cover 20 is demountably connected to the display device 10 or the expansion device 30; the protective cover 20 can also be first connected to the expansion device 30 and then connected to the display device 10. As shown in FIG. 2, in a first embodiment of the present invention, the protective cover 20 comprises a body 21, a first fixing element 22, a pair of first shafts 23, a pair of first supporting elements 24, and two pairs of first magnets 25.

The body 21 comprises a pair of body recesses 211.

The first fixing element 22 is connected with the body 21, and the first fixing element 22 is used for fixing the display device 10 or the expansion device 30 on the body 21 (shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5); in the specific embodiment of the present invention, the first fixing element 22 is a velcro, but the present invention is not limited to it. The first fixing element 22 can also be a magnet, a locking pawl, or any other fixing mechanism.

Each of the first shafts 23 is disposed in a body recess 211, respectively.

Each of the first supporting elements 24 is respectively connected with a first shaft 23 and can be rotated along the first shaft 23. As shown in FIG. 3, in an embodiment of the present invention, the first supporting element 24 comprises a first supporting portion 241 and a first retaining portion 242. The first supporting portion 241 comprises a first receiving pit 2411; the first retaining portion 242 is connected with the first supporting portion 241, and the first supporting portion 241 and the first retaining portion 242 have a first opening 243 disposed therebetween.

As shown in FIG. 2, two pairs of first magnets 25 are respectively disposed in the corresponding body recess 211 and the first receiving pit 2411 in pairs. Also refer to FIG. 6, which illustrates a view of the first supporting element 241 in the erect state. The corresponding plane 251 of the first magnets 25 in the body recess 211 and the corresponding plane 251 of the first magnets 25 in the first receiving pit 2411 have like poles.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the expansion device 30 comprises a main body 31, a second fixing element 32, a pair of second shafts 33, a pair of second supporting elements 34, two pairs of second magnets 35, and a keyboard set 36.

The main body 31 comprises a main body recess 311.

The second fixing element 32 is connected with the main body 31, and the second fixing element 32 is used for fixing the display device 10 on the main body 31 (shown in FIG. 4); in a specific embodiment of the present invention, the second fixing element 32 is a velcro, but the present invention is not limited to this. The second fixing element 32 can also be a magnet, a locking pawl, or any other fixing mechanism.

Each of the second shafts 33 is disposed in a main body recess 311, respectively.

Each one of the second supporting elements 34 is connected with a second shaft 33 and can be rotated along the second shaft 33. As shown in FIG. 3, in an embodiment of the present invention, the second supporting element 34 comprises a second supporting portion 341 and a second retaining portion 342. The second supporting portion 341 comprises a second receiving pit 3411, the second retaining portion 342 is connected with the second supporting portion 341, and the second supporting portion 341 and the second retaining portion 342 have a second opening 343 disposed therebetween.

As shown in FIG. 2, two pairs of second magnets 35 are respectively disposed in the corresponding main body recess 311 and the second receiving pit 3411 in pairs. The corresponding plane of the second magnets 35 in the main body recess 311 and the corresponding plane of the second magnets 35 in the second receiving pit 3411 have like poles (not shown in figure).

The keyboard set 36 is connected with the main body 31; the keyboard set 36 is provided for users to input data to the display device 10. In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the expansion device 30 communicates with the display device 10 via a wireless (such as Bluetooth) connection, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is noted that although the expansion device 30 is illustrated with a keyboard set in the embodiment, the expansion device 30 can be a speaker or any other device having input/output capabilities.

Please refer to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, and also FIG. 2, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5 all together. FIG. 6 illustrates a view of the first supporting element in the erect state; FIG. 7 illustrates a view of the display device leaning on the supporting element.

As shown in FIG. 4, in using the electronic device 1, the display device 10, the protective cover 20, and the expansion device 30 can be linked together via the first fixing element 22 and the second fixing element 32; or as shown in FIG. 5, only the display device 10 and the protective cover 20 can be linked together. As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5, when the display device 10 or the expansion device 30 is superposed on the protective cover 20, the display device 10 or the expansion device 30 will be attached by the first fixing element 22 such that the display device 10 or the expansion device 30 is fixed on the protective cover 20. The first supporting element 24 will be pressed down by the weight of the display device 10 or the expansion device 30 such that the first supporting element 24 is accommodated in the body recess 211 to form a lying state. In other words, when the first supporting element 24 is in the lying state, the display device 10 or the expansion device 30 can be superposed and fixedly disposed on the protective cover 20, as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5. Similarly, when the display device 10 is superposed on and connected with the expansion device 30, the second supporting element 34 will be pressed down by the weight of the display device 10 such that the second supporting element 34 is accommodated in the main body recess 311 to form the lying state.

As shown in FIG. 6, once the display device 10 or the expansion device 30 is separated from the protective cover 20, the first supporting element 24 is erected by the like poles of the two pairs of first magnets 25 repelling each other; then the first supporting element 24 protrudes out of the body recess 211 to be in an erect state S2. Similarly, when the display device 10 is not disposed on the expansion device 30, the second supporting element 34 will be erected by the like poles of the two pairs of first magnets 35 repelling each other to protrude out of the main body recess 311 to be in the erect state. When the first supporting element 24 or the second supporting element 34 is in the erect state S2, the first supporting element 24 or the second supporting element 34 can be used for supporting the display device 10 such that one side of the display device 10 leans on the first supporting element 24 or the second supporting element 34, thereby allowing the display device 10 to stand upright or slantwise on the protective cover 20 or the expansion device 30 (as shown in FIG. 7). Furthermore, since the display device 10 is restrained by the first retaining portion 242 or the second retaining portion 342, even if a user accidentally bumps against the display device 10, the display device 10 will remain in position.

Next please refer to both FIG. 2 and FIG. 8. FIG. 8 illustrates a partial vertical enlarged view of the protective cover of a second embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 8, the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the first magnet 25 is replaced by the first elastic element 26 and the second magnet 35 is replaced by the second elastic element (not shown in figure). The first elastic element 26 is connected with the first shaft 23 for providing a torsion force to the first supporting element 24. When the first supporting element 24 is free from the pressure of the weight of the display device 10 or the expansion device 30, the first supporting element 24 can erected by the torsion force to be in the erect state S2. Similarly, the second elastic element is connected with the second shaft 33 for providing a torsion force to the second supporting element 34. When the second supporting element 34 is free from the pressure of the weight of the display device 10, the second supporting element 24 can be erected by the torsion force to be in the erect state S2. In the specific embodiment of the present invention, the first elastic element 26 (or the second elastic element) is a torsion spring, but the present invention is not limited to this.

Finally, please refer to FIG. 2, FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 all together. FIG. 9 illustrates a vertical view of the protective cover of the electronic device of a third embodiment of the present invention, showing the first supporting element in the lying state; FIG. 10 illustrates another vertical view of the protective cover of the electronic device of the third embodiment of the present invention, showing that the first supporting element is fixed in the erect state by the fastening element.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 9, a third embodiment of the present invention differs from the first and second embodiments in that the protective cover 20 further comprises a first fastening component 27, and the expansion device 30 also comprises a second fastening component (the structure of which is the same as that of the first fastening component 27 and thus will not be further illustrated). The first fastening component 27 comprises a pair of first fixing portions 271, and each of the first fixing portions 271 is respectively used for fixing a first supporting element 24 to keep the first supporting element 24 in the lying state S1. When the first supporting element 24 is in the lying state S1, the display device 10 or the expansion device 30 can be superposed and fixedly disposed on the body 21. Similarly, the second fastening component comprises a pair of second fixing portions, and each of the second fixing portions is respectively used for fixing a second supporting element 34 to keep the second supporting element 34 in the lying state S1. When the second supporting element 34 is in the lying state, the display device 10 can be superposed and fixedly disposed on the main body 31.

As shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, when a user pushes the first fastening component 27 along the direction of the arrow F to cause the first fixing portion 271 to break away from the first supporting element 24, the first supporting element 24 will automatically be erected by the magnet repelling force or spring torsion force to protrude out of the body recess 211, thereby forming the erect state S2. When a user wants to put the first supporting element 24 in the body recess 211, then due to the chamfering design of the first fixing portion 271, the first fastening component 27 will be pushed towards the direction of the arrow F when the first supporting element 24 is pushed toward the body recess 211 by the user, and then the first fastening component 27 will be returned to the previous position by spring torsion force to fix the first supporting element 24, which is pressed into the body recess 211. In the embodiment, since the principles of operation of the second fastening component are the same as those of the first fastening component 27, they will not be further described for the sake of brevity.

It is noted that the above preferred embodiments are only illustrative, and that for the sake of brevity, not all the possible combinations are exhaustively described. However, a person skilled in the art should realize that not all the components or elements disclosed above are necessary. In order to realize the present invention, known components or elements can be added, eliminated, or modified. For example, the user can manually lift the first supporting element 24 or the second supporting element 34 and use a limiting structure to cause the first supporting element 24 or the second supporting element 34 to be in the erect state. In other words, the first magnet 25 (or the second magnet 35) or the first elastic element 26 (or the second elastic element) is not necessary. Furthermore, the protective cover 20 and the display device 30 can use different supporting elements or fixing elements respectively. For example, the first fixing element 22 of the protective cover 20 can be a magnet for fixing the display device 10 or the expansion device 30 by magnetism, and the second fixing element 32 of the expansion device 30 can be a velcro for fixing the display device 10 by adhesion.

It is noted that the above-mentioned embodiments are only for illustration. It is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents. Therefore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A protective cover demountably connected with a display device or an expansion device, the protective cover comprising: a body comprising at least one body recess; a first fixing element connected with the body to fixedly dispose the display device or the expansion device on the body; at least one first shaft disposed in the at least one body recess; and at least one first supporting element connected with the at least one first shaft, the at least one first supporting element being capable of rotating with respect to the at least one first shaft to form a lying state or an erect state; when in the lying state, the at least one first supporting element is accommodated in the at least one body recess; when in the erect state, the at least one first supporting element is erected to protrude out of the at least one body recess; therefore, when the at least one first supporting element is in the lying state, the display device or the expansion device can be superposed and fixedly disposed on the body; when the at least one first supporting element is in the erect state, the at least one first supporting element is used to support the display device such that one side of the display device leans on the at least one first supporting element, thereby allowing the display device to be disposed upright or slantwise on the protective cover.
 2. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one pair of first magnets, wherein the at least one pair of first magnets has one of the first magnets disposed in the body recess and the other one of the first magnets disposed on the at least one first supporting element; the two first magnets are disposed corresponding to each other and have their like poles disposed on their corresponding planes, thereby allowing the at least one first supporting element to be in the erect state because the two like poles repel each other.
 3. The protective cover as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a first fastening component, the first fastening component being connected with the body to fix the at least one first supporting element in the lying state.
 4. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1 further comprising at least one first elastic element, the at least one first elastic element being connected with the at least one first shaft to cause the at least one first supporting element to be in the erect state.
 5. The protective cover as claimed in claim 4 further comprising a first fastening component, the first fastening component being connected with the body to fix the at least one first supporting element in the lying state.
 6. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first fixing element can be a velcro.
 7. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one first supporting element comprises a first supporting portion and a first retaining portion, the first retaining portion being connected with the first supporting portion, and the first retaining portion and the first supporting portion having a first opening therebetween.
 8. An electronic device, comprising: a display device; and a protective cover demountably connected with a display device or an expansion device, the protective cover comprising: a body comprising at least one body recess; a first fixing element connected with the body to fixedly dispose the display device or the expansion device on the body; at least one first shaft disposed in the at least one body recess; and at least one first supporting element connected with the at least one first shaft, the at least one first supporting element being capable of rotating with respect to the at least one first shaft to form a lying state or an erect state; when in the lying state, the at least one first supporting element is accommodated in the at least one body recess; when in the erect state, the at least one first supporting element is erected to protrude out of the at least one body recess; therefore, when the at least one first supporting element is in the lying state, the display device or the expansion device can be superposed and fixedly disposed on the body; when the at least one first supporting element is in the erect state, the at least one first supporting element is used to support the display device such that one side of the display device leans on the at least one first supporting element, thereby allowing the display device to be disposed upright or slantwise on the protective cover.
 9. The electronic device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the protective cover further comprises at least one pair of first magnets, wherein the at least one pair of first magnets has one of the first magnets disposed in the body recess and the other one of the first magnets disposed on the at least one first supporting element; the two first magnets are disposed corresponding to each other and have their like poles disposed on their corresponding planes, thereby allowing the at least one first supporting element to be in the erect state because the two like poles repel each other.
 10. The electronic device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the protective cover further comprises a first fastening component, the first fastening component being connected with the body to fix the at least one first supporting element in the lying state.
 11. The electronic device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the protective cover further comprises at least one first elastic element, the at least one first elastic element being connected with the at least one first shaft to cause the at least one first supporting element to be in the erect state.
 12. The electronic device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the protective cover further comprises a first fastening component, the first fastening component being connected with the body to fix the at least one first supporting element in the lying state.
 13. The electronic device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first fixing element can be a velcro.
 14. The electronic device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one first supporting element comprises a first supporting portion and a first retaining portion, the first retaining portion being connected with the first supporting portion, and the first retaining portion and the first supporting portion having a first opening therebetween.
 15. The electronic device as claimed in claim 8, further comprising an expansion device, wherein the first fixing element is used for fixing the expansion device on the body, the expansion device comprising: a main body comprising at least one main body recess; a second fixing element connected with the main body to fixedly dispose the display device on the body; at least one second shaft disposed in the at least one main body recess; and at least one second supporting element connected with the at least one second shaft, the at least one second supporting element being capable of rotating with respect to the at least one second shaft to form a lying state or an erect state; when in the lying state, the at least one second supporting element is accommodated in the at least one main body recess; when in the erect state, the at least one second supporting element is erected to protrude out of the at least one main body recess.
 16. The electronic device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the expansion device further comprises at least one pair of second magnets, wherein the at least one pair of second magnets has one of the second magnets disposed in the main body recess and the other one of the second magnets disposed on the at least one second supporting element; the two second magnets are disposed corresponding to each other and have their like poles disposed on their corresponding planes, thereby allowing the at least one second supporting element to be in the erect state because the two like poles repel each other.
 17. The electronic device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the expansion device further comprises a second fastening component, the second fastening component being connected with the main body to fix the at least one second supporting element in the lying state.
 18. The electronic device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the expansion device further comprises at least one second elastic element, the at least one second elastic element being connected with the at least one second shaft to cause the at least one second supporting element to be in the erect state.
 19. The electronic device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the expansion device further comprises a second fastening component, the second fastening component being connected with the main body to fix the at least one second supporting element in the lying state.
 20. The electronic device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the at least one second supporting element comprises a second supporting portion and a second retaining portion, the second retaining portion being connected with the second supporting portion, and the second retaining portion and the second supporting portion having a second opening therebetween. 